Mail-bag catcher



(No Model.)

J. A. KELLOGG. MAIL BAG OATGHER.

No. 458,173. Patented Aug. 25, W91.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH A. KELLOGG, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE;

MAI L-BAG CATCH ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0.,458,173, dated August 25, 1891.

Application filed April 30, 1891. Serial No. 391,110. (No model.)

To all whom it may concer-n:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH A. KELLOGG, of Nashville, in the county of Davidson and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Qatchers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to improvements in mall-bag catchers for the railway mail service, such as are mounted on the car and adapted to catch a bag suspended alongside of the track without stopping the train or slacken ing its speed in the least, the object of the invention being to improve the construction of the device shown in my prior patent, No. 286,932, dated October 16, 1883.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view of a car-door opening and a mail-bag catcher constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail section through the catcher-arm and outer end of the handle. Fig. 3 is a detail of one of thebearings on the door-jamb.

Like letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

The supporting-bar A of the catcher is journaled in bearings B at each side of the door-opening, suitable elastic buffers in the form of washers a being interposed to pre vent undue shock, as will presently appear. The handle 0 for manipulating the device is connected to the supporting-bar at approximately the center, and to its extended end'c is rigidly affixed the catcherarm or arms D, which, as shown, taper in both directions and are curved out to serve as receivers and guides for the bag in the well understood manner.

As thus far described the device is in substance the same as embodied in the beforementioned patented contrivance, and consists of as few and simple parts as it is possible to employ; but some difficulty has been experienced by reason of the somersaulting of the bag-that is to say, when the bag has been removed from the crane and carried back to its seat in the catcher it sometimes happens that the weight is not distributed correctly,

or the car giving alurch just at that moment causes it to swing completely out of its seat and escape entirely. In my said former device I endeavored to overcome this difficulty and seat the bag firmly by slightly enlarging its seat at the base of the catcher-arm, and in the present instance this enlargement is dispensed with, permitting the use of simple easily-formed wrought-iron bars, and the somersaulting is effectually prevented by projections on top and bottom of the extended end of the handle between the supporting-bar and base of the catcher-arms. The projections are preferably formed by the projecting ends of a pin E, of about five-eighths of an inch in diameter, inserted in a drilled hole and swaged in place with the ends projecting about one inch and three-quarters. To strengthen the connection between the catcher-arms and supporting-bar the end of the handle is widened fore and aft to afford the greatest strength for a given amount of metal, and it may be passed directly through the supporting-bar or secured firmly thereto .in any well-known or desired manner.

The manner of connecting the catcher-arms and handle is not material; but it is preferable that the said arms be relatively large at the base and gradually tapered toward the ends. One-inch round iron has been found sufficiently strong for the base, and it may be tapered to one-half inch at the ends,

assuming that the length of each arm is three and one-half feet, making the total reach of both arms seven feet, with a curvature sufficient to bring the points about twenty-two inches from the side of the car when in horizontal or operative position.

From the foregoing it will be seen at once that the whole device is extremely simple, the wrought-iron bars from which it is formed being easily forged into proper shape, and when assembled there are no joints to become stuck. or frozen up, and as the bag is not positively held little or no difficulty is I experienced in removing the bag from the catcher, nor does it injure the bag in the least. It will also be seen that the catcher can be placed on any postal car, and that it is adapted to catch the mail-bag in whichever direction the train may be moving without reversing the catcher-arms and without, in fact, any manipulation, save arm on its extended end, of the pin project- 10 to turn the catcher to operative position, as ing through the end of the handle between the catcher-arms extend in bothdirections. the bar and arm for preventing the somer- I Having thus described my invention, what saulting of the bag, substantially as described. 5 claim as new is In a mail-bag catcher, the combination, JOSEPH KELLOGG' with the supporting bar, the projecting \Vitnesses: catcher-arm, and the handle connected with T. H. COUSSENS, the supporting-bar and carrying the catcher- A. L. STEPHENS. 

